Crimson Shadow
by Because-They-Make-Me
Summary: You're an angel, you're a demon. She is our protector, she'll kill us all. A beautiful and talented kunoichi may very well bring death and destruction to Konoha simply because her past refuses to die. GaixOC
1. Preface

AN: For this story I'll be introducing two new villages. Kagegakure (the village hidden in the shadows) and Taiyougakure or (the village hidden in the sun). I asked several people what the hidden shadows and hidden sun villages would look like (spelling) and this is what I got in return. The kages for these villages are the Kuroikage (the black/dark shadow for Kagegakure) and the Hikarikage (the light shadow for Taiyougakure). If anyone thinks or knows these spellings are wrong, please leave a comment or send me a PM about it. Otherwise I'm going to continue writing it like this. I'd like to keep everything as accurate as possible.

Also, this is IMPORTANT! For anyone who is reading Unexpected I just want you to know that writing this does not mean I've stopped writing my other story. I'm just going to start alternating chapters between stories. Right now I am uploading the first two chapters of this story and then I'll bounce back over the Unexpected and upload another chapter of that, and so on.

"Spoken" _Thought/Flashback/Dream_ **Writing**

Preface

The dismembered body parts of fallen shinobi were scattered around the battlefield, the crimson red liquid from their body's staining the once green glass. The light of the full moon reflecting off of the blood gave the large open field an eerie glow.

In the middle of the blood red field stood a woman. Her long hair blew in the breeze while her emotionless face and blood red eyes scanned the battlefield for any signs of life. She saw no one, but sensed the only living souls that remained were the ones that were smart enough to hide in the tree line several yards from her.

"We have to attack as a team," Ton Boozen, the Sun shinobi commander said. His emerald eyes never moving from the woman's form.

"Sir, did you see what she just did," one of the Sun shinobi said in panic. "She just killed an entire platoon without moving from that spot. There is no way the seven of us can take her."

Boozen turned to look at his men; his face was hard with anger and the smallest bit of fear. "We have to do something. We can't let her get away. If th-"

"Sir, look out," another Sun ninja yelled. He leaped forward and pushed his commander out of the way, but lost his life in the process. A giant shard of what could only be described as a chunk of crystallized blood had been launched through the air and sliced through the shinobi's midsection. After ripping through him, the crystal liquefied back into it's original form and fell to the ground, as did the shinobi.

The remaining Sun shinobi jumped farther back into the trees. "Damn Shadow shinobi," Boozen cursed. "New plan. We wait until she exhausts herself. She can't use her powers forever." The other shinobi nodded to their commander. At this point, allowing the enemy to exhaust herself was the only thing they could do.

Another round of blood crystal flew through the trees, scattering the small platoon members. They dodged the crystals effortlessly as they danced through the trees. As the ran for their lives one of the rookie ninja of the group found what he thought to be an opening in his enemies defenses. With lightning speed, the young man dashed passed the trees, through the open field, and towards his enemy.

"Rotsu," the Boozen yelled. "Get back here," but the rookie didn't listen. His fingers quickly formed the familiar seals to use his fire jutsu. As he charged, a giant ball of fire formed in the center of his hand. His chakra concentrated to a single point until the ball was large enough to be tossed at his enemy. The massive fireball flew threw the air, but the woman didn't budge. Instead, when the ball came close enough, a wall of blood surrounded her, extinguishing the flames before it could reach her.

Rotsu, who used the fireball to distract the red-eyed woman, was now only several feet from her. With a kunai in either hand, he lunged for the deadly woman, but instead of attacking her, his body was suspended in the air. Several crimson tentacles, which connected to a large pool of blood under the woman's feet, held the Sun shinobi in the air.

The deadly woman had used her control over blood to catch her enemy in mid air. Her demonic looking eyes looked deep into the Sun shinobi's frightened soul as he struggled to get free. His heart was pumping erratically, making his blood flow through his body like a rocket.

Without so much as batting an eye, the woman watched as the Sun shinobi screamed in agony as he was ripped in half. Blood splatter against her clothes and pale skin as the two pieces of the now dead shinobi were tossed to opposite ends of the field.

All of the remaining Sun shinobi's faces twisted in horror as they watch the death of their comrade from the sidelines. "S-she caught him. He was in mid-air and she caught him without touching him. H-how can s-she do that," one the Sun ninja asked as he slowly started backing up.

"As long as we stay in the trees where she can't see us, we'll be fine," another shinobi said.

"This is why the Hikarikage should've killed her from the start," another shinobi yelled, obviously scared and angry at the entire situation that he believes could've easily been avoided. "Fucking Oono scum."

As if she could hear them talking the woman slowly turned her head in their direction. She couldn't see them exactly, but she knew their general location. With a mind of their own, her feet slowly started navigating her towards the trees.

"Commander, what do we do," on of the Sun shinobi asked as they all started to back up further into the trees.

"I don't know," the commander replied with fear clinging to his voice. The blood was slowly draining from his face as he stood helpless as he watched her move towards them. "I don't know what to do."

As the Sun shinobi were getting ready to retreat, two Shadow shinobi darted passed them and out onto the field. The two shinobi blocked the deadly woman's path, effectively halting her movements. "Misao, that's enough," the female shinobi said. Her clear, sky blue eyes held nothing but worry, sorrow, and love, which betrayed her voice that was filled with authority. "This has to stop now."

Misao, the crimson-eyed woman, tilted her head ever so slightly to the side. Her face, still void of all emotion, looked almost like a mask in the bright moonlight.

"Your mother is right, Misao." An older Shadow shinobi, with midnight black hair, said as he took a few hesitant steps towards the dangerous woman. "It's time to come home now, Misao."

As the man drew close enough to lay a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, his body froze mid-movement. A split second later, a blood tentacle shot up from the ground and ripped the man's arm clean off his body. He fell to ground, screaming in pain as blood flowed freely from his body.

"Hirohito," the woman screamed as she ran to him and bent down to his side. "Oh, Kami. What do I do?" The woman was frantic with worry as tears started to flow from her eyes without restraint. She looked back up to the girl before her and yelled, "Misao, you have to help your father. He's going to die."

Misao's once cold face finally held some emotion, the tiniest bit. Her lips pulled back in the smallest of frowns as she watched the man before her bleed to death. "Misao," her mother yelled again. "Help him." Misao's brows knitted together slightly. She looked confused about what was going on. It was as if she was their, witnessing everything, but being somewhere else at the same time.

In a fit of range the woman stood up and slapped her daughter forcefully a crossed the face. Never in her life had she thought about raising a hand to her child, but she had not other choice. "I said wake up, Misao!"

As if she had been startled from a dream, the cold and deadly Misao had vanished, leaving behind a confused and scared Misao. "Wha…what happened," she asked in a groggy voice. The girl looked around the field and then down at herself. She was covered in blood from head to toe and didn't remember how she got that way. Her face twisted in horror as she tried to rid herself of the red stains. The next thing she noticed was that her father was lying on the ground in pain, his arm flung to some unknown corner of the field.

"Daddy," she yelled as she knelt down to her father's side. Tears instantly started to weld up in her eyes as fear washed over her. "What happened?"

Hirohito, with much effort and willpower, gave his daughter the best smile he could muster at the moment. "You're back," he ground as blood started to spill from his lips. "My little star is back."

"Shhh, don't talk, Hirohito," his wife said from his side as she stroked his hair out of his eyes. "Misao, go find his arm. There might still be time to fix this."

Misao nodded to her mother and ran through the field to find her father's arm. Hirohito watched his daughter run off before looking back up into his wives loving blue eyes. "Anzu, you have to get her out of here. You and I both know that she wasn't in control."

"I know, baby," she whimpered as she continued to brush his face, pushing back his sweat and blood stained hair. "He did this." Her voice rose in anger and her eyes became menacing as the words spilled from her.

"You…you have to…take her away." Hirohito's breathes came too far and in-betweens. He was feeling lightheaded from lack of blood and his surroundings began to darken. "Get her…away…far away…"

"I will, baby," Anzu whispered as she watched in horror as her husband's chest stop moving. "I will." Tears flowed freely down the woman's face as she closed her husband's eyelids and placed one final kiss on his still warm lips. "I love you," she whispered as she pulled away from the only man she ever loved.

Slowly, Anzu stood up and looked over the field. She wasn't sure how many bodies there were because they were all torn to shreds. The large field was slick with blood from what had happened; yet she couldn't bring herself to be angry with her daughter. She knew that Misao wasn't really the one who had committed the crimes that had transpired. It was all his fault. The man her family had trusted and loved. The one person she never thought would betray them.

"Misao," Anzu yelled from her spot by her husband's side. Misao turned to look at her mother's grief stricken face, instantly knowing that her father had passed. "Come here," she order. Within second, the petrified girl was at her mother's side. Anzu extended a gentle hand and rested it on her daughter's shoulder. "I need you to run. Run as far as you can and don't look back."

"But-"

"No, buts. Don't stop for anyone or anything and tell no one where you're going."

"Mom, I can't just leave."

"Yes you can." Anzu pulled her daughter close to her, enveloping her in a loving hug. "Run and don't look back. I'll find you, wherever you are. I promise." Anzu's eyes flickered over to the tree line. She saw several Sun shinobi emerge from the trees. They were all angry and ready to strike. "You need to go now." Anzu tucked a stray strand of hair behind Misao's ear and gave her daughter on final smile. "I love you, my little shining star," she said before giving her only child a kiss on the forehead. "Now run."

Misao looked up into her mother's beautiful eyes as she pulled away. "I love you, mom," she whispered in a broken voice before taking off into the trees behind her mother. She wanted to stay with her mother more than anything, but she knew she couldn't stay. Her mother had always kept her promises and Misao prayed that she would keep this one. Although she didn't know what exactly happened, she knew she was the cause of what had happened and that her mother was about to clean up the mess. She would take responsibility for it herself, and she planned to, but there was someone she needed to find first. Someone who could help her clear up everything.

Anzu watched the Sun shinobi carefully was they kept a close eye on the fleeing Misao. Without haste, Anzu unstrapped the twin swords from her sides and stood in a battle ready position. The blades started to glow an orangey-red color, as if they were in a furnace.

The leader of the Sun squad took several steps closer to the Shadow kunoichi. "Anzu, we don't have to fight. All we want is the girl."

"Not a chance, Boozen," Anzu shot back.

Boozen balled his hands into fist, but let out a defeated sigh after calculating the odds of his team surviving the angry woman before them. He knew there was no way he could change her mind, she was as stubborn as they come. She was like that ever since they were kids.

"What should we do, sir," one of the Sun shinobi asked from his side.

Boozen's browns knotted in frustration at the order he was about to give. "She is an obstacle in our way. Get rid of her." Although the odds weren't stacked in their favor, he was never one to back down from a challenge. She was greatly outnumbered and his team was exactly what she needed to let off some steam. No matter what the outcome, this was going to be a fight to remember.

/\/\

AN: Oooh, not even two chapters in and there's already some bloodshed going on. Nice. I know the part about Misao going to find her father's arm is confusing because, you know, how would she fix that out in the middle of the field with no medical equipment? It will all be explained later. Just keep that little tid-bit in the back of your mind.


	2. Welcome To Konoha

AN: Just a heads up, I'm spelling Gai this way insteady Guy. I continue to spell it the second way for Unexpected since it would be too much of a hassle to change it, but since this is a different story I am going to write his name this way. I always liked it spelled G-a-i instead of G-u-y anyway.

Also, does anyone want to make cover art? I'll give you some spoilers as a reward if you want.

"Spoken" _Thought/Flashback/Dream_ **Writing**

Chapter 1 – Welcome To Konoha

"Akari, I'm not sure this is such a good idea," an older gentleman, in his mid seventies, said as he took in his surroundings. "Maybe we should've moved to a smaller village. One that's not so large and crowded." He ran a pale hand through his mostly gray hair, his nerves starting to get the best of him.

"I think it's perfect, Papa," the woman next to him said with a large smile. "It's beautiful here. Everyone looks so happy and nice." Akari's golden eyes took in every minute detail of the Leaf village as she and her grandfather walked down the dirt streets. Her waist long, wavy, dark lavender hair flowed freely at her sides as they strolled. "It's so cute here."

"Whatever you say, Akari," her grandfather said with a huff. Aito, or Papa as he had been called for the past twenty-six years, was less than pleased to be walking the streets of Konoha. If it were up to him, they would be moving to a much smaller village. One that was not overrun with shinobi. But even though he voiced his opinions, multiple times, he could never say no to his beautiful granddaughter. She was his pride and joy, his reason for living, and he'd do anything made her happy, even if that meant moving to a shinobi village.

"I'm sure you'll learn to love it here, Papa. You can open a tea shop like you always wanted."

Aito rolled his eyes with a pleasant smile. "Whatever you say, my dear."

Akari had always been a die-hard optimist. She never had a bad thing to say about anyone and that often got her in trouble. When she was younger, children use to pick on her and have run errands for them just because they knew she wouldn't say no. If a student were asked to stay after class to help the teacher for some reason, somehow, Akari would end up doing it. However, she never complained. She did everything she was asked to do to the best of her abilities and she did it happily.

But most importantly, Aito loved her smile. No matter what was going on, no matter who she was talking to, Akari always had a smile on her face. If anything, it was her most attractive feature. It affected people like moths to a flame. A person couldn't help but be attracted to her.

"Papa, why don't you go to the house and start setting up. I'll go check in at the Hokage's Tower."

Aito lightly grabbed Akari's hand and brought it to his lips. "All right, little one." He kissed the back of Akari's palm gently before releasing her.

Akari giggle lightly as she took back her hand and took several steps away from her father. "I'm not little anymore, Papa."

"You'll always be my little one to me, Akari. It doesn't matter how old you get." Aito waved Akari a fond farewell before heading off down one of the side streets. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he didn't care. He enjoyed long walks and if he got lost, he figured it would end up being a nice tour of the village.

Akari watched her grandfather disappear into an ally before starting on her way towards the Hokage's Tower. That is, the direction she thought the Hokage's Tower was in. For a good twenty minutes, Akari wondered around the village, completely and hopelessly lost. Although she learned where she could buy a nice bouquet of flowers or have a nice quiet dinner with her Papa, she couldn't find the building she was looking for.

Just as Akari started to get frustrated with herself, a booming and enthusiastic voice caught her attention. "It's my turn to pick the challenge this time, my friend." Akari's golden eyes fixed themselves on the two shinobi a crossed the street. One had messy silver hair and was reading some kind of book while the other had a bowl hair cut and the strangest green outfit she had ever seen. "If I lose, I will do four hundred laps around the village."

"Gai," the silver haired man said with a sigh. "That's not necessary."

"It is if I lose," the crazy green man protested. "I must better myself with every mistake I make."

Akari giggle to herself at the funny scene before her. She felt sorry for the silver haired man, he obviously didn't want to partake in whatever challenge his friend had in store for him, but the other man's enthusiasm made her heart vibrate with excitement. Seeing someone with that kind of zest made her heart flutter.

Silently, Akari made her way through the crowded street to the two men. When she was close enough to catch their attention, both men stopped their conversation and looked over at the unknown woman. "Excuse me," she said politely with a small bow. "I'm new in town and I was wondering if one of you might be able to help me find the Hokage's Tower."

The silver haired man gave her a masked smile and was silently thankful for the distraction. "Welcome to Konoha," hr said as he closed his little orange book and stuck it in his back pocket while the other man's jaw dropped and eyes practically bulged out of his head. The silver haired man looked over at his friend and sighed in disbelief. "You'll have to forgive my friend. He can be a little strange at times."

Akari gave both of them a big, heart warming smile. "It's alright."

"I'm Kakashi and this is-"

"Gai," the Green Beast of Konoha interrupted as he lightly grabbed Akari's small hands in his large ones. "Mighty Gai."

Akari was taken back for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do or why Gai was acting so crazy, even though she thought it was cute, so she did the only thing she could think of. She gave him another, but much bigger smile. "I'm Nguyen Akari. It's nice to meet you both."

"The pleasure is all ours," Gai insisted.

Kakashi rolled his eyes once more before lightly pushing is over eccentric friend out of the way. He knew that if she was going to the Tower, then she must be doing something important and he didn't want to keep her from it. "If you go down this street for three blocks and take a right, you'll see a tall green building. From there-"

"I'll be more than happy to escort you," Gai offered as he interrupted Kakashi. His hands gripped onto Akari's a bit tighter, hoping she wouldn't say no.

A slight blush illuminated Akari's pale skin at Gai's offer. "You don't have to do that. I'm sure you have more important things to do today."

"Not at all. Helping young, beautiful ladies is what I do best."

Akari's brows knitted together in confusion as she tried to keep her smile. She wasn't sure if Gai was being friendly or being creepy, but she thought better of the situation assumed he was being a gentleman.

"You're in good hands if you go with Gai," Kakashi said, seeming to read the woman's mind.

Akari's golden eyes flickered over to Kakashi before landing back on Gai's eager face. "Sure. I'd like that."

Gai's face lit up with all the happiness in the world at Akari's acceptance. Without so much as a goodbye to his old friend he started pulling the golden-eyed girl down the street and to her destination. It was a little strange for Akari, holding hands with a complete strange, but she didn't try to fight it. Gai seemed like a good man and he had given her no reason to doubt that.

"You said you were new in town. Where did you come from?"

"My grandfather and I moved her from the Village Hidden in the Fog."

"Hmmm, I've never heard of such a place. Is it in the Land of Water?"

"No, but I believe it's similar to the Village Hidden in the Mist. The Fog is a village located on the other side of the world in the Bog Country."

Gai's eyes grew wide at this new information. He had traveled all over and in between the Five Great Nations, but never thought about what was on the other side of the ocean. "You have come a long way."

"Yes, but it was worth it. Papa and I like to travel, so one day we decided that we were just going to pack up and leave."

"But what about the rest of your family? What did they have to say about your leaving?"

"There is no one else. Just Papa and I."

"Oh," Gai said as his face softened at the sad news. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Akari said with a reassuring smile. "Papa is all I need."

After a short walk and a couple of random outbursts from Gai, the duo made it to the Hokage's Tower in record time. Akari looked up at the building in wonder. It was so large that she thought she would get lost looking for the proper room.

"Umm, I know you've already walked me here, but do you think you can show me where the Registration Office is for new shinobi?"

Gai looked at the beautiful woman in complete confusion. Although he had only known her for a few minutes, nothing about her even hinted that she was a shinobi. He barely knew her, but she was too kind, and too innocent for such a life. "Of course," he said, still hesitant about the whole thing.

A couple twists, turns, and up two flights of steps, Akari and Gai made it to the Registration Office. "Here you are," he said as he dropped her hand. He turned the doorknob and held the door open for her. "I hope everything works out for you."

"Thank you very much, Gai," Akari said with a breath-taking smile before walking past him and into the room. Gai kept a watchful eye over her until she reached the reception desk. Hesitantly, he closed the door and slowly started down the hall.

As he went he couldn't get her out of his mind. Her dazzling smile, her luscious hair, and those eyes of hers that shined brighter than the sun colored his every thought. He hadn't spent even twenty minutes with her, but he was already looking forward to seeing her again.

When the door clicked shut, the young man sitting behind the reception desk looked up from his paper and spotted the purple haired girl walking towards him. "Hello."

"Hello," Akari replied. "My name is Akari and I have a one o'clock appointment."

The young man looked back down at the papers on his desk. His eyes scanned a list of names and information. "Nguyen Akari," he asked, not bothering to look up from his papers.

"Yes."

The man lifted his head and pointed to one of the closed doors on the far side of the room. "You're in room four with Natsumo Ebic."

"Thank you," Akari said before walking to her assigned room.

She stopped right outside the door and knocked on it lightly, not wanting to be rude and barge in unannounced. "Come in," an authoritative voice said from the other side of the room.

Akari walked into the room quietly. A large man with large muscles, spiky black hair and black eyes sat behind a large wooden desk at the opposite end of the small room. There piles of papers and books on his desk and seemed to be in no particular order.

"Have a seat," Ebic said without looking up from the paper he was currently writing on.

Akari sat in the small wooden chair in front of the desk quickly and quietly. She sat patiently for several minutes as she watched Ebis scribble on the paper.

After writing a few notes on the paper Ebic got up from his desk and walked to one of three filing cabinets that were a few feet away from him. He opened the second drawer of the middle cabinet, ran his fingers of the top of the files as he searched for the proper one. When he found it he took out the fold, closed the drawer, tossed the file back on his and desk then took his seat.

His eyes scanned the contents of the folder that held a letter written by Akari, which she sent to the Registration Office a month prior to arriving to the village and empty registration forms.

"Nguyen Akari," he said flatly. "Your letter of intention to be a shinobi for the villages is rather…elegant." Ebic quickly looked up from the file to glance at Akari. "No offense, but you don't seem…shinobi material."

By appearance alone Akari didn't look to be a shinobi of any kind. She was wearing a light yellow sun dress that cut of in the middle of her thighs, her flip-flop like sandals were silver with decorative stones, a single wooden bracelet that was painted orange with intricate red flowers and vines rested on her left wrist, and a long silver necklace hung from her neck and down over her chest had a small flower silver flower pendent dangling from it.

And her physical appearance was as beautiful as her clothing. Her long hair cascaded around her body and her innocent golden eyes looked like the sun lived in them. Her posture was perfect and she was soft spoken, which was reflected in her writing.

"I know I don't look, well, like a shinobi," Akari said as she figured out what to say next. "But I promise that I'm more than qualified for the job."

Ebic wasn't completely convinced, but he knew no girl like her would be sitting in her seat if they didn't mean it. People in the Leaf village took being a shinobi very seriously, but then he remembered that she wasn't a native to their land.

"Let's get started." Ebic looked back down at the empty registration form and readied his pen. "I'm going to ask you some question and I need you to answer honestly."

"Ok," Akari replied confidently.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six."

Ebic wrote down the information then continued.

"How long have you been a shinobi?"

"For sixteen years."

"Do you have a Kekki Genkai?"

"No."

"Do you know medical ninjutsu?"

"Yes."

The questions and answered flowed effortlessly for an hour as Ebic filled out paper after paper after paper.

"One final thing," Ebic said as closed her file, finally finished with all the paper work, and sat back in his seat. "You wrote in you letter that you are from the Fog village. Where is that exactly?" He knew she was from the Bog country, it said so in her letter, but he didn't know where that was exactly.

"It's in the Bog country," she replied honestly.

Ebic looked to his right and studied the large world map that hung on the wall. He could easily spot Konoha and other five great shinobi village, but he couldn't figure out where the Bog country was. "Where is it?"

Akari silently got up, walked to the map, and pointed to a small island country on the other side of the world. Although they weren't on the map, there were four tiny islands that surrounded the main island, Grey Island, which made up the Bog country. Most people who were not from that side of the world believed that it was just a cluster of islands that didn't have any place in the shinobi world.

Ebic was rather surprised and curious as to why a girl like her would travel half way a crossed the world just to work for the Leaf village.

"You may take your seat."

Ebic studied her carefully as he watched her move with perfect precision.

"Why Konoha? Why come here and not continue being a shinobi in your home country?"

Akari looked down at her hands, which she had folded neatly on her lap. She searched her heart for the proper words before speaking.

"My home country and the ones surrounding it are not as peaceful as Konoha and the other great nations are. They are constantly at each others throats and the hatred doesn't seem like it will stop any time soon." Akari looked back at the map for a moment and studied it. Memories of her old life flooded her mind. Her eyes began to glisten with tears that almost fell. "The Fog village wasn't very big. Out of the six warring nations it was the smallest. One night the Boulder village invaded the Fog. Since most of our shinobi were off fighting against the other two countries…by the time we came back there was nothing left except ashes."

"What about the people of the village?"

"Everyone was murdered. There was literally nothing and no one left and there was only a small handful of us who made it back. And the ones that did come back…they ran off to join one of the other villages."

Ebic shook his head in disappointment for her former kinsmen and felt for what she had been through, but his previous question still rang in his head. "Why did you choose to come here?"

"I did some research before choosing a new home. I read up on the history of Konoha and…I don't know. There's just something so magical about this place. You guys have a history of creating legends and your loyalty to this village…I have a hard time believe that you guys would do what the people from my village did."

Ebic could hear the hurt and honesty in her voice and knew she wasn't lying, but he still couldn't fight the feeling that something was off about her. With her village destroyed and couldn't get anyone to verify what she was saying.

After being lost in his thoughts Ebic decided to let things stay as they were. "Go back the way you came and talk to the receptionist. He'll take your picture for our records and get you scheduled a physical and a skills match."

"What's a skills match?"

"It is a mandatory sparring match with several jounin and ANBU in the village to get a feel on your fighting style and skills. If you pass both your file will be sent to the Hokage for review. If she approves you will officially be a Konoha shinobi."

A bright, wide grin spread a crossed Akari's face and her eyes lit up. "Great," she said in a perky voice. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me," Ebic said as he picked up her file and put in back in the cabinet. "I just do the paper work." Ebic looked back at her and saw that she was about to bounce out of her seat with joy. "You can go."

Akari quickly got out of her seat and said, "thank you," one final time before exiting the room.

After making her appointments Akari flew out of the Registration Office and out of the building. She was so happy to have gotten this far and knew that the rest will be smooth sailing.

"I guess your appointment went well," Gai's familiar voice said from behind her.

Akari turned around to see Gai walking up to her. He had waited for her right outside the Tower. Party to see how her meeting went and party to catch another glimpse of her.

"It was great," she said with a wide smile. "It went perfectly."

Gai smiled a goofy smile as her watched her beam with excitement.

"I'm really sorry, but can I ask you for another favor? Can you please help me get home? I'm not really sure where it is."

"Of course."

Gai and Akari walked down the streets of Konoha together. The Green Beast couldn't help but smile, a little more than usual, as he watched Akari taking in the sights and sounds of his village, their village. She was beautiful and her outlook on life was beautiful. Although he didn't know her, he could feel that there is something special in her and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.

/\/\

Akari's POV  
"Thank you very much for your help today," I said to Gai with a smile. He's such a sweet man. He had helped me out of the kindness of his heart and I am so thankful for that.

We stood right outside my house. It was a small, one story house but it was more than enough room for Papa and myself.

"It was my please," he beamed back.

"I hope to see you around." And I do. Excluding a few people I haven't had many friends in life and Gai seem to be like someone I could call a real friend.

"I am sure we will. Fate itself couldn't keep us apart."

I couldn't help but giggle at his silly boldness before playing my hand on the gold doorknob of my house and turned. "Thank you again," I said one more time before walking inside and closing the door behind me.

The second the door clicked behind me I ran into the living room and practically knocked Papa over as he was unpack some of our belongings. I wrapped my arms around his necked and hugged him tightly. "I did it. I did it. I did it!"

Papa chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me and hug me back. "I'm proud of you. What all did you have to do?"

"I had to answer a few questions and I have a physical and a skills test to take, but I know I can't pass them."

Papa practically froze which scared me. He pulled away from me and held me at arms length as he studied. "What exactly do you have to do for this skills test?"

"I just have to show them what I can do. Nothing extreme. Probably just show of my lightning skills a bit."

Papa gave me a disapproving look and I knew why. After everything that happened to us he didn't want me to be a shinobi anymore. After the Fog was destroyed he quit being a ninja and wanted me to do the same, but I couldn't do it. I was born for job, it is who I am. Without it I would be lost.

"Just don't do anything over the top."

"I wont, Papa. I promise."


	3. Strange Girl

AN: Anyone want to make a cover?

"Spoken" _Thought/Flashback/Dream_**Writing**

Chapter 2 – Strange Girl

It had been two weeks since Akari sat in Ebic's office and in those two weeks Akari had accomplished so much. She passed the mandatory physical with flying colors. Her doctor was surprised when he couldn't find any scars or blemishes on her skin, which was extremely rare in her profession. Next to impossible in fact.

During those two weeks Gai had been her shadow. He had escorted Akari and Aito, her Papa, all over the village, all the while fumbling over his words at her beauty. He showed where the best places were to shop and even took them around the boarders of the village. And when he and Akari were not with Aito, Gai was kind enough to introduce her to his friends.

One night he escorted her to a nice restaurant to get to know Anko, Genma, and Kakashi.

"You're too hot to be a shinobi," were the first words to leave Anko's mouth that night and she hadn't even had a drop of alcohol yet.

Akari's cheeks became dark red as she sat frozen in her seat. "Umm-"

"Relax, Anko," Genma said coming to Akari's defense. "Not all kunoichi are as ugly as you."

Anko punched Genma lightly in the shoulder before throwing question after question at Akari.

The four of them hardly ate that night. Everyone was too busy concentrating on what Akari had to say. She told them about what life was like in the Fog.

Her parents had died when she was very young during a mission. They were escorting their countries leader back from vacation to the capital when four enemy squads from the Cinder Village attacked. Although her parent's squad had miraculously won the battle, the people Akari cared for most lost their lives.

"So, it's always been you and your grandfather," Kakashi asked.

"Yes. For as long as I can remember," Akari replied sweetly. "I don't even remember my parents, but that never bothered me. I have Papa and that's all I need."

"What about boyfriend's," Anko prodded. "Ever have one?"

Akari's face turned as red as a tomato and she looked down at the food in front of her. "Y-yes."

"Why so shy? Tell us about him. Was he cute?"

"Anko," Kakashi warned.

"Why did you guys break up?"

"He died," Akari replied as she looked back up at table fell silent at the uncomfortable news, but Akari felt the need to reassure everyone. "Please don't be sad. He died protecting our village, which is an honor for any shinobi. After all, that's the life we lead, right?"

Although Akari said it with a smile, everyone could see the pain in her eyes. She tried to put on a brave face, but she failed miserably.

"Onto a different topic," Genma said, hoping to get things back to a light mood. "Why Konoha? What brought you here?"

"Research," Akari replied, her eyes lighting up again. "Konoha has an amazing history of creating great shinobi. The Sanin, the Yellow Flash, the White Fang, I could go one. And the world's greatest medical-nin is the Hokage. This village is the definition of amazing and I would be honored to be a part of it."

"Sounds like someone's a little in love with this place," Anko teased. "But it's a little soon, don't ya think?"

"Not really. Konoha is our chance for Papa and I to start over. No one knows us here and there aren't any memories to haunt us. If there ever was an ideal place to start over, I'd think this would be it."

"Well," Gai said, speaking for the first time that night. "I am sure you'll love it here. The power of youth flows more powerfully and freely here than it does anywhere else."

Akari giggled at Gai's enthusiasm while the others either groaned or rolled their eyes.

"Are you excited for tomorrow," Genma asked.

"Tomorrow?"

"Your skills test is tomorrow."

Akari tilted her head to the side slightly, her brows knitting together. "It is, but I didn't tell you that."

"We know because we're four of your opponents," Anko added with a smirk and gave a playful wink. "And we wont be going easy on you."

"Good," Akari said with a warm smile that stretched from ear to ear. "If I can't hold my own against you guys, then I have no write to work with you guys."

"Oooh, I like you."

"Thank you."

"Let's hope you fight as well as you look."

Akari's face turned red for the unknown amount of time that day. She had never been good with receiving complements. "Th-thank you."

Once dinner was over Gai was kind enough to escort Akari home even though she knew the way.

"Thank you very much for introducing me to your friends, Gai," Akari said as she and Gai walked lazily down the street. "They seem like very nice people.

"They are. Kakashi and I go way back. We've been rivals since the academy."

"Wow, that's amazing," Akari said wide-eyed and joyous to hear that. "It must be nice to have a friend like that."

"Didn't you ever have a rival?"

Akari looked down at the ground and blushed, her bangs falling in her face to hide her from Gai's gaze. "N-no, not really. I was…um…I don't know how to say this without making me sound egotistical."

"Were you at the top of you class?"

"Y-yes. Everyone called me a nerd because I got straight A's."

"That's nothing to be ashamed about." Gai stretched out his hand and placed the strand of hair that hid Akari from him behind her ear. "And it's not something to hide from. You should be proud of what you can do."

Akari blushed again and utter a small, "thank you." Akari quickly changed the subject to something she knew wouldn't make her blush. "So, is it true that I will be fighting you guys tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I'm sure you'll do great."Gai puffed up his chest and gave her the best Good Guy face he could muster. "You have the power of youth on your side. There is no way you can fail."

Akari giggled at his funny looking stance, making Gai plush at the harmonious sound of her voice. "I'm not so much worried about passing anymore. I just don't want to hurt any of you and then have you guys be mad at me."

Gai began to laugh so loud that the few people who were also out that night. Akari didn't know what he found so funny, so she waited for him to stop.

"Don't worry. It's all in good sport."

"Really?"

"Think of it like training. If you do you're best we'll all be proud of you."

Akari's eyes glistened in the moonlight as she smiled brightly. "Thank you, Gai. That means a lot to me."

The two continued to chat aimlessly as they wondered throughout the city. They talked about friends, family, and everything in between. Gai wanted to learn as much about her as possible and he did. It took a little prodding, but he learned many gory details of Akari's life in the Fog and got a better understand of why she was shy and constantly second guessed herself.

Akari had been the odd ball of the family. Both of her parents and grandfather were out spoken, headstrong people. She on the other hand, was a quiet introvert who would rather be in the corner watching others so she wouldn't be the center of attention.

However, when it came to being a shinobi Akari was anything but an introvert. Although she was still very quiet, she was always level head and calculated every situation carefully.

"My sister, Makoto, use to be a Phoenix ," Akari said nonchalantly. "She was really good at it."

"I didn't realize you had a sister. What's a Phoenix? Is that like a-"

"Oh no!" Akari's hands quickly flew to cover her mouth. She mentally cursed herself for saying anything. She had been so wrapped up in their conversation that she let slip something she shouldn't have. "I shouldn't have said anything. Please forget what I said."

"Hey now," Gai said calmly as he placed a gentle hand on Akari's should, stopping her from walking. He took in her now shaking form and was genuinely concerned about her."What's wrong?"

"Please don't tell anyone I said anything about having a sister." Akari began to shake. She was suddenly afraid, not of Gai but of anything else she might let slip. "Please!"

Gai was beside himself. One minute they were having a nice conversation and the next she was freaking about because they were talking about her sister.

A second hand found its way to Akari's other shoulder, he gripped gently to calm her shaking. "I wont, but tell me what's wrong with you." All trace of happy-go-lucky Gai was gone. The man the stood in front of Akari now was serious, caring, and above all worried. "Why do you look so scared?"

Akari looked down as she dropped her hand and wrapped her arms around herself. She had suddenly gotten cold and she didn't know if it was from cool night breeze or because of her nerves. "I just…Papa doesn't like me talking about her."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. It was somewhere in the middle and knowing that she just openly sidestepped Gai's question made Akari feel sick.

"I truly don't mean any disrespect towards your grandfather, but you should be able to talk about your sister freely. Where is she now?" Akari looked up at Gai with broken eyes. "She died?"

Akari nodded silently before looking down again. Images of her older sister danced in her head. It was as if she had seen the woman just the other day. She could clearly remember Makoto's long raven hair and her golden eyes that she had also gotten from her father.

While she was alive, Makoto was Akari's everything. They did and shared everything together. They had a perfect sibling relationship, but all of that was taken away the day Akari found her sister's lifeless body in her bedroom. The image of her broken form is forever engraved in her mind.

"Can we please not talk about her," Akari begged. "And can we…can we not talk about where I've come from?" Akari looked back up at Gai and felt terrible at what she saw. She could tell he was worried about her fan felt horrid that she made him feel that way. "I know it's a strange request, but…I just don't like talking about my old life. Konoha is supposed to be my new home, the start of a new life."

"That's fine. I wont ask any more about the Fog, but just remember this. Although you have had hardships in the past, never forget who you are. Never forget where you're from. Remembering who you use to be will help you become who you want to be."

Akari didn't know what to say or do. She didn't except this level of kindness from someone she had only know for a few weeks. Yet here Gai was, standing in front of her, doing his best to make her feel comfortable.

"I…um…thank you."

"No problem," Gai replied sweetly. He studied her carefully for a few more moments before gently pushing her in the direction of her home. Akari was still shaken and he didn't know what to do about it. "Let's get you home. You have a big day ahead of you."

After dropping her off Gai replayed the events of the night over in his head. One minute she was smiling brightly, then blushing and then crying. She was a giant bundle of nerves and it seemed like there were so many topics that could set off an emotional time bomb within her.

And yet, despite her obvious emotional issues, Gai couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special about her. That there was something deep inside her that could change not just him, but everyone around her and he couldn't wait to find out what that something is.

/\/\

The next morning was one of the scariest days of Akari's life. It was the day that would change her future forever.

Aito and Akari sat quietly at their kitchen table having their breakfast. Akari hadn't told Aito about her slip up the previous night and contemplated whether she was going to tell him or not. When she got home the first and only thing she did was run to her room and cry herself to sleep. Talking about her past, especially her sister, brought up many old feelings that she thought she **barried**.

"I really wish you would reconsider this," Aito said before taking a sip of his morning tea, his eyes never leaving the newspaper he had in front of him.

"I know I can do this, Papa," Akari said softly. She played with her bowl of cereal, not having much of an appetite due do her nerves.

"If you can't even stomach eating breakfast than you shouldn't go." Aito peaked over his paper and saw Akari looking somewhat dejected. He set his paper on the kitchen table before him and turned slightly in his chair to get a better look at her. "There's nothing wrong with not being a shinobi. Not after what happened." Akari looked up at, but said nothing. "You served and sacrificed for our village. You played your part in the shinobi world. Maybe it's time to rest and think of something else to do."

"But I don't know what else to do, Papa. I'm not good at anything else."

"Of course you are. You love to paint, you could do that. Or you could come work with me in the tea shop. It could be a family business."

Akari's eyes brightened at his news. "You're really going to open a tea shop?"

Aito nodded with a smile before taking a quick sip of his tea. "I filed all the papers and everything yesterday morning. The space we bought isn't big, but it will be a good place to start."

"We?"

"You and me," he said as waved a finger between them. "You and I do everything together. It's only right that I bring you in on this."

As happy as Akari was to hear that her grandfather was starting a business he had talked about owning for years, she also felt a little hurt. She didn't want to work in a tea shop, she wanted to be a shinobi.

"Papa, I…I don't…"

Aito reached a crossed the small table and took one of Akari's slender hands in both of his.

"I know being a shinobi means the world to you, but…I just want you to be careful. You're all I have left in the world and I can't lose you."

"You'll never lose me, Papa," she said with a reassuring smile before lifting his hands to his lips and kissing them. "I promise I'll be careful."

Aito tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he couldn't. He didn't want his only reason for being to throw herself in danger, again, but he knew he couldn't keep her from her dreams. She had to be her own person and he knew that, but that didn't stop him from watching her like a hawk.

The older man leaned back in his chair and sighed before picking up the newspaper and continuing where he left off. "You should go get dressed. You'll be late."

Akari smiled brightly as she leaning towards Aito to give him a quick kiss, extremely thankful for his approval. She then bounced up from her chair and ran to her bedroom to get dressed.

Ten minutes later Akari was ready to go. She tied her long violet hair in the middle with a yellow ribbon. That way it stayed loose, but was also out of her way. The only part that wasn't held back were the two long side bangs that framed either side of her face.

She wore an outfit similar to what she wore in the Fog, but with a few differences. Instead of red she dressed in a yellow kimono with light green trimming that stopped just above her knees. The long sleeves hung off of her shoulders. To keep it all together was a dark green sash that was tied in a bow in the back. Under the kimono she wore black short-shorts that were hidden the ends of the yellow fabric. Her sandals were black standard shinobi sandals. Attached to her left thigh was a kunai pouch and in her back left pocket was a set of black fingerless gloves.

"I'm ready," Akari said as she ran back to the kitchen and stood in front of her grandfather wait for his approval. "How do I look?"

Aito looked up from his paper and examined her closely. "Like a dream."

Akari smiled brightly before giving him one final kiss. "Thank you, Papa."

Without another word Akari grabbed an apple out of the fridge and walked to the front door. When she opened it she was surprised to see Gai standing before her, his hand raised to knock on the previously closed door.

/\/\

AN: Yes, Akari was a little all over the place when it came to certain topics, but that's because...oh wait, you guys don't know yet. ;)

Read and review makes for quicker updates.


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